


Latching onto you

by ahdachi



Category: Pentagon (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Tattoo Parlor, Attempt at Humor, Eventual Fluff, Explicit Language, Friends to Lovers, Implied Sexual Content, Innuendos and Puns, M/M, Only if you squint - Freeform, Tattoos, Teasing, mentions of needles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-14
Updated: 2019-07-14
Packaged: 2020-06-23 20:12:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 20,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19708570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ahdachi/pseuds/ahdachi
Summary: Yuto decides to do his first ever tattoo at the most famous tattoo parlor in the city. There, he meets Kino, one of the most beautiful, delicate and talented tattoo artists he’s ever seen and he quickly becomes a regular client.It's not hard for everyone to realize he’s not there only for the tattoos.





	Latching onto you

**Author's Note:**

> Title is from Disclosure - Latch ft. Sam Smith (You can hear the song while reading, it gives a good feeling with the lyrics)
> 
> Okay, this kinda came up after I saw a fanart of Levi between Eren's legs and making a tattoo on him and I just thought of Yuki during Demo 01 era and their fake tattoos but we made them real here.  
> Anyways this is not proofread or anything, is actually just a rushed idea but I hope you enjoy it♥

“Come on, it doesn’t hurt” Wooseok whined, lifting his hand to take his best friend’s arm between his fingers, rocking it back and forward continuously. If he wasn’t almost 6 ft. tall he would’ve looked like a kid doing a tantrum to his mother. Still, Yuto thinks he’s being too childish for his own sake.

“For the hundredth time, Wooseok, I’m not doing it” Yuto groaned, shifting uncomfortably in his seat while he tried to memorize the words a random scientist said two centuries ago. “I don’t want to spend my money on something like that, it’s just not appealing”.

“You’re just a coward” Wooseok huffed, looking down at his best friend from where he was standing next to him. In fact, he should be studying the same way Yuto was doing now but his priorities were other than the stupid laws of physics and chemistry that he wasn’t interested in. “I know you’d look hot with one of them. Only one. You already have this bad, edgy boy look, it would help you get a boyfriend. I think you need one. You’ve been too tense lately”.

“I’m doing just fine, thank you very much” Yuto rolled his eyes, trying, for the third time, to read his chemistry notes to at least remember hints for the test they were having tomorrow. “And I don’t look like a bad boy”

“Are you kidding me? Half of our class is afraid of even sitting close to you and I’m sure that makes you interesting because as I remember, you get love letters three out of five days a week. Imagine if we had classes on weekends. Insane” Wooseok crossed his arms over his chest, refusing to lose this argument against Yuto.

Yuto rolled his eyes again, finally leaving his notes aside while he looked up at Wooseok, an incredulous gaze piercing the taller boy’s eyes. “There are not that much” In fact, Wooseok was right, as much as Yuto hated to admit it, he had received a lot of letters in the past, but dating was not in his plans as for now, even if he already hanged out with a couple of guys, but they weren’t worthy for any other than just a one night thing. “And I thought the class didn’t come closer to me because I don’t like to talk to anyone”

“That makes you edgy” Wooseok clicked his tongue. If he felt Yuto’s piercing gaze on him, he didn’t even mentioned it. “Plus, 95% of your wardrobe is just black, sometimes I feel like I’m going to open the closet and transport to other dimension through a black hole”. The taller waved a disinterested hand at Yuto, trying to make his point. “A single tattoo and you’ll get the girls and boys in your door the next hour”

“I don’t need a tattoo to get a boyfriend, Wooseok, you just said they are already interested in me so, why bother”. Yuto closed his notebook, defeated, it would be impossible to concentrate in his notes if Wooseok kept bothering him with this. This was the issue: since Wooseok got his first tattoo (roman numerals at the posterior side of his right forearm) at this parlor everyone was talking about when they were in his freshman year at college, he kept insisting Yuto to get one as well.

Still, Yuto didn’t like the idea, it seemed just useless, he didn’t want to get something on his skin that he wouldn’t be able to get rid of when he got bored and that was a problem, he didn’t like to stick with something too long, it made him feel tied up and he always claimed to be something like a “free soul that had the opportunity to run free on the wind” and he didn’t like to get stuck in the same place. That’s why he didn’t have a boyfriend until now.

Stability was something he lacked of, in each aspect of his life.

Not because he didn’t want something stable, it’s because even if he tried, he felt trapped and that overwhelming feeling wasn’t nice.

So time passed and Wooseok got his second and third tattoo done. Roses with its stems and leaves at each side of his neck, all the way up to his jawline. Along with his long, black hair and his almost 6 ft. height he looked incredibly intimidating. Not to Yuto though, the boy used to cry watching animated movies and loved to eat chocolate chip cookies at ridiculous hours of the night, there wasn’t anything intimidating in that.

And okay, he was a _bit_ afraid. He had never been good at handling pain or needles even if he already had three piercings on one of his ears and two in the other one, but those were quicker and less painful than a tattoo for sure. He barely visited the doctor; only when he really felt like he was at the verge of dying and that didn’t happen so often. But he couldn’t say that to Wooseok because he’ll be a coward and the taller male wouldn’t let him live after that.

“Listen” Wooseok said, leaning on the desk, trying to reach Yuto’s sitting height somehow. “It doesn’t hurt if you know what to do and where to go. If you choose a small tattoo then you’ll be fine, it won’t take you longer than two or three hours-” Wooseok stopped when he heard Yuto let out a loud and high pitched ‘ha!’, so he lifted one of his eyebrows, trying to see what caused that reaction to the other boy.

“Are you serious? Three hours on a small one? Now I’m even less interested in it” Yuto made the motion to open his notebook again, hoping that’ll be enough for Wooseok to understand they were done with the conversation.

“Come on! It’ll be worthy if you know what to do, like I told you and don’t interrupt me again!” the taller male huffed, lifting one of his hands, placing it over Yuto’s notebook to avoid him opening it again. Of course they weren’t over with it. “Also, the shop I go to is amazing. The artists are hot as hell and they even help you with your decision and tell you what’s best for your first one. It’s almost like a whorehouse for virgins, but without sex. I know you want, you’re just a pussy”.

“I’m not a coward” Yuto said, trying to convince Wooseok _and_ himself. “I don’t even know what I should do either way, I haven’t decided what I want to keep with me for the rest of my life”

“That’s why I’m here, bro” Wooseok smiled widely, making Yuto shiver slightly. There was something in Wooseok’s smile that was uneasy. Yuto was already regretting it but before he could say something against it, again, Wooseok moved through Yuto’s room, reaching the bed where his laptop was charging. He unplugged the charger and took the device to Yuto’s desk, navigator already open when he placed it above Yuto’s notebook. “Look, what about a One Piece tattoo”

Yuto snorted, holding back his laugh when Wooseok suggested that because _seriously?_ “Dude, you’re saying you want me to look hot but I don’t think an anime tattoo would be the best idea for it. No one would be interested”.

“Really? I was hoping to get Zoro’s swords tattooed in my back but whatever you say, buddy” Wooseok took the chair where Yuto usually threw his clothes, too lazy to fold them. He sat next to Yuto, scrolling down a page Yuto didn’t clearly recognize but one that Wooseok seemed to know perfectly. Wooseok was trying to look up for something not too big, but that could stand out. “You like takoyaki so what about an octopus?”

“Listen, I don’t think you’re clearly catching this but your suggestions suck. Why would I like to have an octopus in me? You’re making this less appealing as seconds tick” Yuto rolled his eyes for the nth time. He didn’t have time to do this, but still he leaned a bit on the desk, looking at the tattoo designs as Wooseok scrolled slowly. The taller boy looked concentrated, his eyebrows slightly furrowed as his eyes scanned the screen, trying to find something that would make Yuto change his opinion about tattoos.

“Oh, stop” Yuto said, making them both gasp surprised. Wooseok because he knew Yuto had found something that caught his attention and Yuto because he never thought he’ll get his eyes on something like this. For the past two years he avoided Wooseok’s constant nags but now that could change. He pointed to one design at the top right corner of the column Wooseok stopped scrolling.

There were Japanese characters written in kanji. Japanese characters were a common tattoo choice and it was a bit disappointing for Wooseok because he really wanted Yuto to stand out with a bigger and way more stunning tattoo but it wasn’t his choice to make after all. Also, since Yuto was Japanese then those letters could be meaningful for him, so that could be even better than anything he was thinking of. At least he already had done something now that Yuto had considered the idea of it. “What does it say?”

“ _Carpe diem”_ Yuto said, his eyes fixed on the laptop screen. They didn’t look that bad, actually, the way the characters were written was beautiful, they were done in a way that looked like it was made with black ink and a big brush. “Like, the actual translation to Japanese”

“Seize the day? Sounds like something you would say very often. Actually I think you do but with other words. Do you like it?” Yuto pursed his lips at Wooseok’s question. Is not that he didn’t like it, is that he fucking loved it. He never considered the fact of getting a tattoo in his mother tongue. Hell, he never considered the idea to get a single tattoo in his life but now it seemed like the perfect idea.

Maybe Wooseok was right.

But it was rushed. What if he didn’t like it in the long run? That would mean it was a waste of time, and money and he’ll had to live with it for the rest of his life. He didn’t want to make a decision just in the heat of the moment so he nodded, trying to make Wooseok understand he did like it, but- “Not yet” he said, ignoring Wooseok’s annoyed look. “I like it but let me just think about it, okay? I like it but I have to decide where I should place it. And also make time to go to the place and should I remind you we have exam week starting literally tomorrow, Jung?” Yuto closed the laptop and left it aside, trying to get rid of the feeling that he needed to get up, grab his wallet and go to that parlor everyone talks about just right now.

“Don’t be a loser, you never care about exams” Wooseok stood up, stretching his arms above his head. “But okay, as long as you don’t change your mind” The taller boy walked out of Yuto’s room, leaving him with more doubts than ever.

He didn’t have time to think about tattoos now, he needed to study because he couldn’t let himself fail another test. But still, he couldn’t avoid thinking about it. It seemed less and less like a bad idea and the mere thought of it scared Yuto because that meant he’ll leave his comfort zone of sticking with something for too long, taking that huge jump into something that he’ll keep forever.

He sighed, defeated, he didn’t have a choice. He wouldn’t admit it out loud but he also hoped not to change his mind by the end of the week.

* * *

The exam week flew between tests after tests but by Saturday, Yuto was happy all of his exams were over at least for now. They were in the middle of the semester anyways but at least he’ll have a couple of weeks technically free until work started to pile up again.

Fortunately for Wooseok and unfortunately for Yuto, he hadn’t change his mind about the tattoo and he already thought about where he was going to make it. He thought the front part of his forearm, just like Wooseok did on the back for his first one. He looked up on internet and read the places where tattoos didn’t hurt that much and since it said to avoid bones as much as possible, especially if it was the first one, it seemed like a good idea. It’ll be visible yet subtle. He usually wore long sleeved shirts and many hoodies but it was the best idea now that they were almost in summer and he’ll get rid from hoodies for a couple of months.

“Man, I swear for everything precious in my life that I won’t bother you” Wooseok almost pleaded, looking at his best friend putting his shoes in the entrance of their shared dorm. That Saturday, Yuto decided it was the best time to go and finally do it, he knew that if he kept delaying it, he’ll regret and Wooseok would come back to bother him again.

“No, if I see you there I’m gonna change my mind in the middle of it and I’ll blame you for placing this idea in my mind in the first place” Yuto said, shoving his phone inside the phone of his black jeans. See, he decided to go but without Wooseok, even if the other boy basically kneeled to plead to go with him. He wanted to go alone because he’ll have time to back off before he puts a feet inside the parlor, and maybe take a break before finally deciding to do it or not. Plus, if he doesn’t back off, then he doesn’t want Wooseok to make fun of him for fearing needles. “Just wait here or go around there with Jinho hyung until I come back in like five hours or so”

“You’re a shitty best friend, I was the one who convinced you, I should be able to go with you in this memorial and iconic day” Wooseok huffed, crossing his arms on his chest.

“Yeah, whatever, you’re the shitty best friend for pushing me like this but okay, we’ll see if I still hate you when I come back”. He said, walking out of the dorm without even saying goodbye to Wooseok.

He walked all the way downtown until the commercial area. It was a 45 minutes’ walk with the pace he chose, taking his time to breathe and think, and think all over again if what he was doing was correct and if that he really wanted to do this. He felt guilty he let himself fall for this so easily after a single picture, after years of denying the mere idea of it. But he was also excited because he barely did something so risky like this, so out of his comfort zone, something that almost seemed prohibited for someone like him.

And it was that adrenaline that made him push the door from the tattoo shop, not even realizing the decoration outside until he was inside and the colors basically dragged him inside with even more power. The reception was painted dark gray and white, colors that seemed like glowing with the neon blue lights it had all over the place. There were shelves on the right with merchandising from the parlor, the logo printed in t-shirts, caps, mugs and many other things that Yuto couldn’t count. The logo itself was right in front of him, along with the reception desk, a long semi-circle table with something that seemed like catalogs spread all over it.

Behind the desk was a boy that didn’t seem to notice his presence so Yuto walked all the way to him, clearing his throat to catch his attention, something that worked pretty quickly. The boy jumped from his seat, startled. He was reading a lot of papers and letters along with envelopes that were spread in his desk behind the table. That made Yuto almost laugh but he couldn’t when he noticed the guy.

He stood up and he seemed a bit shorter than Yuto, black hair falling on his forehead, bright eyes and an even brighter smile decorating his face. He was wearing a white button up shirt, the first three buttons of it open, revealing the tattoos on his neck and chest, the anarchy logo placed on the right side of his neck, along a phrase that said something like “all of my life” and a rose similar to Wooseok’s one in the center of his chest.

Wooseok wasn’t lying, he was hot, and he hadn’t even gotten to the artists themselves. “I’m sorry, I didn’t see you, I‘m busy trying to organize these letters”

Yuto tilted his head to the side, and even if he hadn’t rights to ask about what this man meant with that he still asked. “Letters?”

“Yeah, love letters. Clients and fans from the boys” He said, letting out a soft chuckle, shrugging while he tried all his best to remove as many papers from the desk as he could.

“Oh” Yuto said, suddenly understanding what kind of letters he was talking about. But still, it was a bit odd that tattoo artists received letters, he hadn’t heard of anyone before, this was basically the first time so, as the curious boy he was, he said “They have fans?”

“I know, it sounds a bit cocky but people say they’re model-like tattoo artists and at least 9 out of 10 clients that leave the parlor come back only to ask for a date or leave letters” the boy sighed, his expression was something between amusement and tiredness, just as if the story about the letters was something he already said many times before. “I’m Yeo One, by the way, welcome to Pentory Tattoo!”

“Yuto” He gave Yeo One a small nod with his head, trying not to look as nervous as he was feeling right now. “It must be tiring”

“Not anymore, we just keep up with it” Yeo One said, smiling widely now while he looked at him. “Anyways, this is personal stuff, sorry for it. What can I help you with? Tattoo? Piercing?” He lifted his hand, index finger pointing at Yuto’s right ear “Nice one there, the crosses are my favorite piercings to make”

“Don’t worry about it and thank you” Yuto ducked his head a bit, clearly embarrassed for the compliment even if he was talking about the earrings. He cleared his throat then, looking everywhere but the guy in front of him, pretending to be busy taking a look at the catalogs on the table. “Uh, I want a tattoo”

“Did you made reservation? I don’t remember your name” Yuto shook his head, he didn’t think he’ll actually need to call for an appointment but he hoped they could make a bit of space for him because one single _come back other day_ would be enough for him not to put a foot there ever again. “Alright, let me just clean up this desk and in a second I’ll see which of the boys is free. Please wait in the chairs, I’ll call you up in a bit” Yuto sighed but nodded anyways, thanking the guy, Yeo One, before moving to the side of the reception desk where the chairs were, right at the beginning of a long aisle with three doors on each side of it.

It was a bit weird for Yuto that the place was so empty when it was so famous but if it had to be with the reservation thing then it made sense.

Not even five minutes passed when a tall, slim, red haired guy emerged from one of the doors on the left and walked down the aisle, carrying a small, translucent bottle. He seemed to notice Yuto’s presence because as soon as he reached the reception he gave him a quick nod with his head, turning then to Yeo One, the other boy still busy trying to clean up the mess from his working space.

“Changgu can we- whoa, more? How many are there now?” The guy said. His voice was between deep and soothing, it was a nice voice tone. Yuto checked him out now that he was right in front of him and he would be lying if he said the guy wasn’t good looking. He was, indeed, model-like.

He might’ve been a couple centimeters taller than Yuto, pale skin, soft red hair falling graciously on the right side of his face. His eyes were small but piercing, looking almost like a fox. He was wearing a long black coat, a couple of buttons undone right on his chest, exposing a good pair of collarbones. Yuto noticed his tattoos then, he had an astronaut placing a flag in what seemed the moon at the left side of his neck and then, both of his hands and wrists were filled with small doodles that would’ve look cute on anyone but him. Yuto only caught a glimpse of a paper plane, a parachute and a heart and maybe a burger but rather than cute, he looked hot, really, freaking hot.

“Yeah, more, whoever takes my place when we have to change shifts needs to take these things to the blue room with the others, I already delayed a lot of things organizing them. They brought 10 more today, Shinwon” Yeo One, or Changgu as the other guy, Shinwon, called him rolled his eyes but a soft smile was placed on his lips. Maybe it seemed tiring but as much as Yuto could see, they enjoyed the attention they received. Yuto understood now how the clients ended falling in love with them after all. “What is it?”

“Oh right” their small moment was broken as Shinwon placed the empty bottle on the semi-circular table next to the catalogs. “I’ve ran out of cleanser and I was about to start with my guy, if you can’t go to the cellar now, tell Dawnie to bring more to my room, please”

“Of course!” Changgu said, taking the empty bottle and placing it under his desk before Shinwon walked (almost ran) back to his room, maybe busy with a client as Yuto could understand.

It was a bit awkward to stay there sitting alone and he was regretting not bringing Wooseok with him because he was getting a bit uncomfortable not having anyone to talk to and he was getting more and more nervous as the seconds ticked on the clock right in front of him. But again, not even five minutes passed when another guy walked down the aisle, he was shorter than Shinwon but his presence was so strong he felt even taller. He nodded quickly just like Shinwon did, meaning he was busy back there as well because as soon as he reached the reception he quickly turned to Changgu.

He had dark blue hair on full display, covering his eyes slightly. He was dressed a bit relaxed compared to the high fashion outfit Shinwon was wearing. Black jeans and black tank top revealing a tattoo on the left side of his chest; he also had a cross and something else he couldn’t actually decipher on his back, covered slightly with the top. He also had a couple of tattoos on his arms and one on his neck that Yuto read as _Free ~~dom~~ /dawn_. He had seen a total of two guys but he was already startled, _how_ the fuck were tattoo artists so good looking? He almost regretted not coming here before. “Changgu I’m gonna take a bottle of purple ink from the cellar, I’m almost done with mine”

“Okay!” Changgu said and the guy was about to turn around to leave when “Oh, Dawnie please take a bottle of cleanser to Shinwon’s room, I’m kinda busy here”

“I can see” the guy, _Dawnie_ , said, watching Changgu putting the last envelopes inside the box and then he turned to Yuto, giving him a quick smile before leaving the reception, going back to the aisle. Yuto saw him disappear behind the last door in the hallway, probably the cellar. He didn’t realize he was still lost in his thoughts and in the mere presence of these guys when a he heard Changgu sigh and clear his throat.

“Alright, I’m done! I’m sorry I took so long, this is maybe the hardest part of the business when you’re not tattooing anyone” he said, letting out a soft laugh that put Yuto’s defenses down, easing the mood and even making him relax a bit. “You already met two of our boys, Shinwon and E’Dawn. I’m sorry they can’t stay longer but they are already busy with some clients”

“It’s okay, don’t worry” Yuto said, standing up as soon as he saw Changgu opening a notebook, and turning the pages on it, stopping at the middle and then taking a pen, scribbling a couple of notes there.

“So. Yuto, right? Is this your first tattoo or have you done one before?” he asked, eyes never leaving the notebook, still busy scribbling notes. Yuto wondered how many things he was writing over there or if they had to do something with him.

“Uh, this is my first one” Yuto said, sentence low, a bit embarrassed even if he didn’t need to. Changgu stopped writing then, looking up at him with a wide lip smile, eyes turning to crescents.

“Cute” Changgu returned his gaze to the notebook, Yuto feeling his cheeks burn because now he really was embarrassed. “Okay, you’re lucky Kino is free this morning, he’s good with beginners, trust me and him. Do you perhaps have an idea of what to do or do you wanna look up at the catalogs to make your mind?”

“I already bring what I want to do” Yuto said, quickly taking his phone out of the pocket of his jeans. He tapped the screen fast, looking up for the picture he saved the week before and he showed it to Changgu who nodded, finally placing the notebook down along with the pen.

“Good, usually Dawnie is the one who makes either Chinese or Japanese characters but Kino is just as good so don’t be nervous, he’ll do a great job” Changgu assured, walking to the hallway and making a small gesture with his hand for Yuto to follow him.

Yuto felt his throat close and his lungs burn, a dull ache taking place right in the middle of his chest. He really was doing this, he really was about to spend God knows how many hours inside that place with many needles piercing his skin constantly at each second. The only thought was enough for him to stay there, frozen, not being able to move an inch. That was so, _so_ embarrassing, he was making himself look so scared and weak.

Before Changgu could notice he wasn’t following him, he shook his head, trying not to think about it and actually thinking about the benefits of it. It would mean a lot to him to have that message on his skin, and it was small, it didn’t have color, so that meant he’ll end in a blink. Hopefully this Kino guy would be fast and wouldn’t make this too painful or torturous.

He walked quickly behind Changgu, stopping at the door the other boy did before he could open it, revealing the tattoo room. It wasn’t big but it was spacious enough for Yuto to breath, at least he wouldn’t feel like he was going to suffocate. He also thanked the fact the rooms were made right for one artist and one client, so nobody would be able to see his face when they start with it.

The room was clean, the walls painted in white and dark gray, illuminated by neon lights similar to the ones in the reception but these were purple instead, making the frames of what seemed like drawings and pictures of tattoos that Yuto supposed were Kino’s clients stand out even more. There was a long mirror on the corner, almost unnoticeable. Everything was placed on the correct shelves. The tattoo inks were placed on a shelf with various levels, all of them ordered by color and labels. There was a long, black table with a lot of drawers, each one with labels of what seemed materials for piercings and also the needles for the tattoo machines. The tattoo machines were spread over a small mobile workstation, all of them in the same exact size but in different colors.

It felt even kind of welcoming, the room itself pulled you inside even if you didn’t want to be there, just like Yuto found himself eagerly walking inside, taking a look at everything he could. “Oh, Kino is not here, he might be cleaning himself up. He’ll be here in a second. If you want please wait there” Changgu said, pointing to a chair next to a drawing station where Kino must draw his designs before they were ready to be latched on the client’s skin.

Yuto gave Changgu a quick nod, walking to the chair and sitting as comfortably as he could. He saw Changgu walk outside the room, closing the door behind him, leaving Yuto alone in the room that now felt too big only for him. Again, he regretted not bringing Wooseok with him, at least he would be a great company while he waited around.

His thoughts were interrupted when the door opened again and Yuto thought he’d see Changgu once again but instead, another guy walked inside, smiling widely when he noticed Yuto’s presence, giving him a small bow with his head while he closed the door behind him. He was beautiful, incredibly so. “Hi, Changgu hyung told me you’ll be my client this beautiful Saturday morning. I’m Kino” said boy waved his hand at him, walking comfortably to the other side of the drawing table.

“I’m Yuto” Nice, he managed to introduce himself without choking with his words, that was a great plus. Yuto checked out Kino’s outfit, he was wearing a black, short sleeved button up shirt, similar to the one Yuto was wearing right now. His black hair fell on his forehead, bangs slightly long but they didn’t seem to bother him, even if it made his eyes look smaller than they actually were. He was wearing pretty makeup, brown and gold shadow on his eyes along with fake, soft blush traced in a line from cheek to cheek, small dots of fake freckles over it, giving him a rather soft look instead of the strong, intimidating aura Shinwon and E’dawn gave. He noticed his arms had small doodles tattoos, the design similar to the ones Shinwon had, but he couldn’t catch up any of them clearly.

“So Yuto, that’s a beautiful name” Kino said, taking his respective seat, the drawing table putting a comfortable distance between them, something Yuto thanked because Kino wouldn’t see how his cheeks turned a slight shade of pink at the compliment. He had received a lot of compliments before, Wooseok even mentioned the love letters he had been getting since they started college, but that didn’t help with feeling so infatuated by these guys, it was just a natural reaction.

Yuto understood now, why they received letters, why they had fans in first place. All of them deserved to be on the cover of some magazine. Yuto wouldn’t be surprised if they already were.

“Hyung also told me you already have a design planned, can I see it?” Kino said, his voice was soft, soothing, it made Yuto get rid of his nerves pretty quickly. He nodded, handing his phone to Kino, the picture zoomed in enough to make it clearer. “Carpe diem? Seems good for a first tattoo, I’m happy you chose it”

“Wait” Yuto’s eyes opened wide, jaw falling slightly. He understood, he knew what the tattoo meant. “You know Japanese?”

“Yeah, since I was like 12” Kino let out a soft laugh, taking Yuto off guard. _Why as he so cute for?_ He had spent a total of five minutes with him but Yuto was already falling so damn hard for the boy because _please_ how could he not? His eyes sparkled with emotion, his round cheeks seemed constantly soft with the fake blush and he smiled each two seconds and how could Yuto not be right enamored? He was also just his type, everything he physically looked for in a boy. “So if you feel like it’ll help you relax, you can talk to me in Japanese”

“Thank you” Yuto let out a soft sigh, watching Kino taking out an paper to start drawing the design.

“Where are you planning on doing this?” Kino asked, taking out a marker with the hand he wasn’t holding the phone with.

“Here. I want them vertical” Yuto lifted his hand, pointing straight to his right bicep. Kino stared at his arm for a couple of seconds, his eyebrows furrowing slightly as he took his lower lip between his teeth in soft movements. It kind of made Yuto nervous as why he was staring so much to his ar but his haze was broken when the shorter male spoke again.

“It’ll look great there. Now, if you give me less than ten minutes we’ll be ready to start, okay?” Yuto nodded, watching Kino place the paper on the drawing table, turning the light on so he could make the design as similar to the picture as possible. Since Yuto lost his phone, the device still on Kino’s hand as he drew the characters on the paper, he couldn’t do anything else than just wait.

He noticed the tattoos Kino had on his hands now. There was a laurel crown right in the back of his right hand, the one he was using for drawing. The letters K N N O V were right on each one of the knuckles of the same hand. On his left hand he had a rose similar to the ones Wooseok had on his neck, the thorns and leaves marking his veins slightly. He also had other letters on the knuckles of this hand, Yuto caught the A T I O N right there and started wondering if they were a complement of the other ones or if they meant anything completely different.

“K… N… Nov… Ation?” Yuto muttered the words as he thought was only for him but Kino stopped drawing right there, looking up at him and then to his hands, smiling softly while he started his task once again. Yuto blushed once again at the realization that he actually spoke a bit louder than he would’ve liked.

“Knnovation. Is my artist name, but it’s too long, that’s why I chose people to call me Kino instead” he explained, his delicate fingers running the marker on the paper in smooth movements, the characters slowly coming to life.

"And what does it mean?" Yuto asked out of pure curiosity. He knew he didn't have to distract Kino while he was drawing, but he couldn't avoid it, he wanted to know more about him.

"K is from Kang, my last name. Innovation because I want to make original things that would likely be innovative and well received. Also spread as my contribution to this industry" Kino said, his eyes never leaving the paper while he drew, but he still kept this soft smile with him.

"That's... Pretty brilliant" Yuto was actually surprised how his name was chose so carefully, how he wanted this to be remembered as his legacy. And how could it not? He was already famous in their city, it was matter of time for them to be known in more places. He hoped it'd be like that.

"And done" Kino left the marker aside, handing the phone back to Yuto while he stood up, walking around the drawing table to get where Yuto was sitting. "Are you going to take off your shirt?"

Yuto gasped, choking with his own spit as Hyunggu looked at him with an amusing grin. "W-What?"

"If you'll take your shirt off. I need to measure this on your arm and I'm afraid your sleeve is longer than the ideal. You can also roll the sleeve up but we take the risk of it falling down again. You can take off only one side and leave the other on, it won't matter as long as your arm is fully bare" Okay, that made sense, Yuto needed to stop making himself a fool in front of Kino, he didn't want him to think he was too inexperienced on this.

Yuto unbuttoned his shirt completely, removing it only on his right side, leaving the other on. It was a bit silly to keep it while he was basically half showing the upper part of his body but it made him feel safe. He had never been the one to show off his body, even if he had a great one, if he was being a bit self conscious. So half covering it was enough.

Kino stared at him for a couple of seconds, remaining in silence as he flexed his arm just a bit, enough for Kino to notice where the tattoo needed to go. That seemed to break the contact between Kino and his arm, leaving Yuto a bit startled while the other boy placed the paper over him, not touching him yet since they still had to sterilize the area. He moved the design up and down slowly, trying to see where it'll go better until he stopped right at the middle. "Okay, you can move to the tattooing chair now, it's more comfortable for the couple of hours we'll be here" Kino said, waiting for Yuto to do what he just said.

Yuto didn't lose any time to move to the other chair, placing his arm on the armrest, ready for Kino to start. He felt his palms sweating and his heart starting to beat uncontrollably as he saw Kino go to the long table, opening one of the drawers to take out a pair of black gloves and cotton buds, leaving them on the surface of the table. Kino was quick to put the gloves on, taking then the cotton bud and then a bottle that looked like the one Shinwon held to Changgu minutes earlier, cleanser.

He dropped a bit of cleanser into the bud as he walked towards Yuto, standing next to him. Kino started sliding the cotton bud over his bicep, sterilizing the area slowly, careful not to leave any area unattended to avoid any possible complication.

Yuto stared at the way Kino moved the cotton bud over his skin, almost hypnotically. Yuto found himself shivering and tensing his arm slightly at the gentle touch, letting out a soft breath he didn't know he was holding until Kino dropped the cotton bud to the trash can.

He took the paper again, but this time he definitely placed it on his arm, pasting it to his skin for the marker design to latch onto it. He removed the paper slowly then, staring at the design, running one of his hands over it carefully, trying to see if the design transferred completely. Once he was sure, he sat down in a chair right next to Yuto, dragging the mobile workstation next to him. He took the black ink bottle along with a small recipient, dropping the liquid on it, almost until the top but not enough to drop out. He saw him take one of the machines then, turning it on.

As soon as Yuto heard the particular sound of the machine turned on, his body visibly tensed up, his arms showed his veins as realization finally hit him, saying there was no turning back from now, that he was doing this for real and he'll have it for his whole life. He avoided looking at Kino, placing his sight on the wall in front of him instead, he would back off if he saw the machine getting closer to his arm, ready for many needles to pinch him at the same time, hurting him.

He was lost in his thoughts, trying to process everything that was about to happen when he felt the characteristic latex of the gloves against his skin. Kino started rubbing his forearm slightly in circular movements, his thumb and his index finger applying a bit of pressure on the right places, making Yuto sigh against his own will with how good those hands felt on him.

"It's okay. I know it's your first time so it's okay to be afraid" Kino said and Yuto almost teared up, he said that in Japanese. Yuto turned his head to him then, almost flinching when he realized Kino was actually closer than he expected but he was going to tattoo his bicep anyways so it might've been just the distance that he needed to do it. Kino stopped his movements then, sliding his hand right to where Yuto was pressing his own in a tight fist. "Open" Yuto obeyed Kino, loosening the grip on the fist to spread his palm up. Kino was quick to place his gloved hand over his, pressing it just a bit. "Tell me when you're ready, we'll do this at your rhythm. Breathe and relax, I can't do this if your muscles are too tense or I could hurt you"

Yuto nodded, pressing his fingers against Kino's hand, squeezing it slightly, trying to release all the tension he bottled up until now. As soon as he felt that he could handle it, he let go off Kino's hand, looking at him with a small smile before thanking him, still in Japanese. "Thank you, Kino"

Kino smiled back at him, scrunching his nose up in such a cute way Yuto felt his heart do a flip, beating fast again but this time it wasn't for the tattoo, it was for the boy making it. "You can call me Hyunggu" he said, adjusting the machine on his right hand, dipping the needles on the ink before he took it to Yuto's arm. Hyunggu, that was a cute name, it definitely fitted the face. Hyunggu looked up at him smiling widely "Take a deep breath"

Yuto did as told, taking a deep breath, pressing his lips in a tight line as he held his breath. He flinched when he felt the first contact with the machine, the movement slightly painful but enough to knock all the air out of his lungs, hissing loudly. Hyunggu sent him a quick apologizing look before he returned his gaze to his arm. He bit his lip as Hyunggu moved the machine skillfully over his arm, contouring the letters in such professional strokes. He knew what he was doing, there was no doubt he had the talent for this.

The first minutes were silent, only the sound of the machine echoing in those four walls. Yuto had to press his lips a couple of times more, especially when Kino had to slide the machine over the lines he had already done, making sure the ink to latch onto his skin.

After the first character was done 25 minutes later, Yuto felt the necessity to talk. He wasn't accustomed to be in the same place for too long without doing anything, and it was killing him slowly staying there like a statue. Maybe a bit of conversation would make the time more beareable. "Is Shinwon the only one without artistic name or is that his artistic name and his real one is still unknow?" He didn't know why he was asking that, out of all things he could ask for, but the curiosity was actually eating him up.

Hyunggu let out a giggle, moving the machine over the extension of his bicep, on his way to finish the second character. Yuto had to flinch a couple of times while he waited for his answer but it eventually came. "Yes, he's the only one. He chose 'Godel' at first but after a couple of months he decided he didn't want it anymore. We tried to help him make one but he didn't like any of them so he stayed like Shinwon. Hyojong Hyung said he was boring and almost threatened him to kick him out of the team if he didn't have one, but eventually he accepted it"

"Hyojong?" Yuto tilted his head a bit, eyes never leaving Hyunggu.

"Oh, since you mentioned Shinwon hyung I thought you already met everybody. He's E'Dawn in case Changgu hyung mentioned him while he decided who was going to tattoo you" Hyunggu said, letting out a soft breath while he finished the second character, with two more yet to the line. And oh, so that was Hyojong.

"I saw him too, but you're right, he introduced him as E'dawn" Yuto answered sincerely, holding back a groan when Hyunggu moved the machine near the border of the third character, his skin already sensitive.

"Sorry, we introduce ourselves with our artistic names but we call each other with our real names because we've known each other for a long time now and it's habit" Hyunggu shrugged, looking up at Yuto when he removed the machine to dip it on the ink again. "You're doing an amazing job, Yuto, we'll end in a bit"

That was enough to make Yuto's chest tight, the dull ache coming back, stronger than before. He was anxious to finish, because that meant no more pain finally. But at the same time he didn't want Kino to finish, there were still a lot of things he didn't know about him and he'll never have the chance to ask him again. Finishing meant not seeing him again.

Yuto couldn't bear the idea.

He wanted to ask a lot of things, but he didn't know how to. He didn't want to sound like a nosy person, yet he wanted to know everything about Hyunggu but he was sure Hyunggu didn't share any personal information about him to clients that visited them for the first time.

"You can take your time, you know?" Yuto said, trying to make it sound as normal as he could, he didn't want it to sound as desperate as he was feeling right now.

"Oh, you're not scared anymore?" Hyunggu smiled widely, his tone teasing. Yuto clicked his tongue, trying to take advantage of the opportunity he just opened there.

"I wasn't scared, just nervous" He shook his head, making it sure it looked convincing. Unfortunately for him, Hyunggu seemed to see through his lie because he rolled his eyes as he started with the next character.

"You're a self proclaimed tough boy now, huh?" Yuto flinched when he felt the needles again. “You were squeezing my hand pretty hard before, no doubt why you wanted to do this on your bicep. You have a good pair of arms right here” Hyunggu said and Yuto had to hold back his breath, partially for the pain and the other part because, was Hyunggu _flirting_ with him?

No, that couldn’t be it, he was just complimenting him, there was no way, why would he? Yuto had to stop his delusional thoughts about the boy because that would make everything awkward and he didn’t want Hyunggu to think he was thinking too hard about this.

Still, Yuto found himself saying “Thank you” before he could embarrass himself. But, if there was a slight possibility that Hyunggu was flirting with him, maybe he could test waters as well, right? “Also, your hand is pretty, that’s why I held it tight”. Okay, not awkward at all, and pretty smooth. Yuto didn’t use to flirt with many people, but he would say he was at least a bit good at it. He wasn’t involved in this kind of situations pretty often, where he was interested in someone as he was with Hyunggu, so he had to take advantage of it as much as he could.

Fortunately for him, he seemed to catch Hyunggu off guard, because as soon as he said that, Hyunggu busy dipping the needles of the machine on the ink, he missed it a bit, making the ink to overflow from the recipient, dripping a couple of dots on the table. He also caught a slight pink tint decorating Hyunggu’s cheeks, clearly affected by Yuto’s words. Hyunggu cleared his throat, not minding the ink on the table as he returned to his task, trying to hide his blush with his bangs, looking down at Yuto’s arms so he couldn’t see him. “Thank you” he muttered, soft and low.

Yuto smiled to himself when he saw just the reaction he was expecting, so he was flirting with him and Yuto had just flirted back even if Hyunggu didn’t expect him to do so. That small interaction was enough for Yuto to feel like he needed to see him again.

But he didn’t want to be like those so called fans that they had, sending anonymous letters for him or asking him out after this first session. No, he wanted to do this right, and if he had to go to the extremes for it, then he’d do. Not all days he met boys like Hyunggu, and even if they had just met, he felt like they connected in any kind of way, even if it was still early to say it.

The rest of the time passed by faster than Yuto would’ve liked, between small conversations and simple questions. Hyunggu talked about his hometown, and how he moved to Seoul to look out for any better opportunity for him. He told Yuto about how he decided to do his first tattoos, the letters on each one of his fingers, and how he came up with the name. He also told him it was Hyojong the one who made them, immediately falling into some sort of weird friendship after that. He even told Yuto how they both met Changgu and Shinwon at a tattoo shop the four of them attended back when they were only on their first tattoos in their bodies.

On return, Yuto told him about how he got convinced about his first ever tattoo, how much Wooseok (Hyunggu recognized the name since he only went there) nagged him about it, and how he spent almost two years of his life with it until he finally managed to help Yuto make up his mind. He also told him about home, his parents still back in Japan. Yuto told him about his sister and how he followed her to Korea, she was trying to achieve her dream in the Korean market while he just wanted to study in a different country, both of them having pretty different interests.

“So what does she wanted to do?” Hyunggu asked, his question sounding genuinely curious and surprised as what she could’ve looked for there in Korea.

“Modeling” Yuto shrugged, as much as he could do while Hyunggu was still working on his skin, the last strokes of the last character wrapping up his art.

“Oh” Hyunggu’s eyebrows lifted, clearly surprised at the answer. “Is she famous now?”

“I don’t know” Hyunggu gave him an incredulous look, as of why he was her brother but didn’t know if his sister already achieved her dream. But he had a reason, he couldn’t let him know who she was, not yet. He didn’t want to get involved in her life, he was better left in the shadows, without anyone knowing, so he could live a relatively normal life. Truth is, she actually was one of the best paid models in Korea right now, her name signed under some of the most famous makeup brands. As for clothes, she already had a whole brand under her name, not wanting to only model but to create her own clothing line that she could also show off. Yuto himself was wearing one of the shirts she designed, but Hyunggu didn’t need to know that. Yet. “Don’t look at me like that, I haven’t talked to her in a while”. Lies, he talked to her yesterday.

“You’re such a bad brother” Hyunggu said, but again, his tone was teasing. It was kind of funny how they got to talk so comfortably about things like these. Yuto didn’t know if it was because they just needed something to talk about or because they actually wanted the other to know more about each other. Either way, Yuto was enjoying it.

Unfortunately, it only could last so long.

“Are you done?” Yuto asked as Hyunggu turned off the machine, eyes never leaving Yuto’s arm.

“Yes, it’s done” he said, taking a small towel to remove the remaining ink on his skin. He dropped a liquid on the towel that Yuto couldn’t identify, but he slid the piece of cloth over his sensitive skin, being as careful as he could be, making the area clean enough for Yuto to see the final result. “You can stand up and go to the mirror to look at it better”.

Yuto nodded, moving on his place so he could stand up again. His legs felt weak for sitting for so long and he had to take a couple of seconds to actually make his way to the mirror on the corner. As soon as he got there, he felt the air getting stuck in his throat. He saw each stroke of the Japanese characters on his skin, the borders were red and they itched slightly but overall the work was magnificent. It wasn’t as amazing as any other design could be, as drawings with color and things like that, but it was so simple it looked amazing against his bare skin. Since half of his torso was still uncovered he could see how it looked, and how it stood out in a way he never thought he’d look.

Maybe Wooseok was right after all. He needed to be a bit more considerate with him, if only he could’ve done earlier. He would’ve met Hyunggu way before.

Speaking of.

Yuto turned to the boy who was busy taking out a roll of plastic cling film wrap from one of the drawers, stretching it as he walked to Yuto. “So?”

“It’s amazing” Yuto said, not even realizing they spent the whole session speaking in Japanese. He was quick to switch to Korean again as Hyunggu got closer and started wrapping his arm with the plastic to cover the tattoo. “Thank you, for the first one this surely is a win”. Hyunggu smiled at him while he made sure to wrap his arm as tight as he could without hurting him or pressing the tattoo too much. He also took a medical tape that he put in the border of the plastic so it wouldn’t slide off or fall down.

“I didn’t notice we kept talking in Japanese. Thank you, I forgot how a conversation like this went, you helped me practice again” Hyunggu said while he finished covering the tattoo, sliding his gloved hand over it to remove the wrinkles. “Okay. Make sure to remove the bandage in around two or three hours. Wash the area with hand soap and enough water, but don’t rub it, do it slowly and carefully and then dry it tapping the area with paper towel. Then you need to apply healing ointment, you can buy one outside, Changgu hyung has everything needed for aftercare, you’ll have to keep this routine three times a day for at least two weeks. You can keep covering it for the first days but you also need to remember it has to breathe so consider using tank tops or shirts with loose sleeves”

“Okay, I’m kinda backing off now, it’s like taking care of a child” Yuto said, moving his arm so he could put the other half of his shirt on again, being careful with the bandaging.

“Oh, the first one is like that, after the second one, things like these are just a routine, you’ll see”. Hyunggu shrugged, looking up at him while he removed his gloves, throwing them to a trash can near the mirror. Yuto lifted one of his eyebrows at his words, he didn’t plan on doing any other tattoo, at least not now. He still felt his arm numb with the numerous stabbings he received with the machine. But if Hyunggu said so, it was because he knew something, something that Yuto still hadn’t seen, but he hoped to realize soon. “So…”

Yuto lifted both eyebrows now, looking inquisitively at Hyunggu “So..?”

“Is not that I want you to leave but I might have another client waiting for me and I can make them wait only so long. I’m sorry, I’m not casting you away, just… you know” Hyunggu gave him an apologetic look, something that made Yuto made another backflip at how he tried to make him know he needed to leave, despite Hyunggu saying he didn’t want him to.

Yuto smiled softly at him, holding back the urge to run his hand through his hair and mess it around, just because he looked incredibly soft and cute like that. “It’s okay, I need to leave anyways, I can’t leave Wooseok alone for too long or he’ll burn down our dorm”

“Oh, right, Wooseok” Hyunggu said, his voice low, Yuto almost didn’t hear him. “So… you can go to Changgu hyung now, he’ll let you know about the ointments and the prices. It was a pleasure meeting you, Yuto, thank you for letting me be your first” Hyunggu said, pun clearly with the tone he used, and he didn’t know if it was because he pain had him numb but Yuto could’ve swore he _winked_ at him.

Maybe this would be the last time they’ll see each other, maybe they wouldn’t meet again, even if Yuto knew where to find Hyunggu, but he also knew under which circumstances and he wasn’t ready, not yet. But still, Yuto didn’t want to leave just like that, so he lifted his hand, in a gesture for Hyunggu to take it. He only made it with the excuse of shaking his hand goodbye, but in reality he wanted to feel Hyunggu’s delicate hands against his skin without the latex gloves making a barrier between those slender and skillful fingers.

Hyunggu stared at him a couple of seconds before he lifted his hand as well, taking Yuto’s one and shaking it slightly. Yuto made it as well, holding Hyunggu’s hand tight, feeling his palm burn under the touch. He wanted to run his fingers over each one of the lines of Hyunggu’s tattoos, but he couldn’t. At least his heart would leave content now, softness distinct against his fingertips as Hyunggu took his hand back, Yuto missing the contact the exact second their hands broke the contact. “Thank you, Hyunggu”

Yuto didn’t want to leave, he wanted to stay so badly and ask Hyunggu about so many things. He wanted to know him better, know the meaning of each one of his tattoos and piercings, know each one of his stories, count down the freckles on his cheek bones, discover everything about him but time wasn’t a friend right now, so he had to turn around and walk outside the room, making his way through the long hallway to the reception again.

He was shaken out of his thoughts when he heard a familiar voice saying “Oh, Yuto! How are you feeling? Everything alright?” It was Changgu. Yuto nodded, showing his arm covered in plastic film, at which Changgu gave him thumbs up and a wide smile. “Looks fantastic, mate”.

“Thank you, Hyunggu did a great job” Yuto said, taking out the wallet from his black jeans, handing Changgu the credit card, ready to pay for the tattoo and also ask for the ointment Hyunggu mentioned back there but before he could say something, Changgu looked at him, his eyes dart open and his jaw dropping slightly as he received Yuto’s credit card. _Odd_ , Yuto thought.

“Oh, so, Hyunggu” Changgu said, the right corner of his mouth curling upwards in a rogue smile. “He made you call him by his real name”. He mumbled as he slid the card through the machine, charging the bill to Yuto’s card. Why was it so weird if he called him Hyunggu? Didn’t all his clients do the same? Was it different with Yuto? That couldn’t be possible, maybe Changgu was only overreacting.

Yuto left the parlor with his arm wrapped in plastic film, black plastic bag hanging from his hand with the aftercare products he also bought. As he made his way back to the dorms, he couldn’t avoid thinking about what Changgu said, and why he was so surprised Hyunggu let him call him by his name.

The thoughts never left his mind, not even when he got to the dorm, not even bothering to look up in the rooms to see if Wooseok was around or if he still was with Jinho. He just made his way to his own room, throwing himself on the bed while he stared down at his new acquisition, falling in love with it each second that he looked at it. It made him remember about the one guy who made it, one guy that probably was expecting him to go back again. He needed to know why Changgu reacted that way.

Yuto didn’t know what that meant, but he hoped it was something good.

His thoughts were interrupted as soon as he saw the door of his room opening, Wooseok’s head popping out from behind. “You’re back!”

Yuto smiled slightly, nodding his head before he could sit on the bed, moving to the side to show Wooseok his wrapped arm. “Yeah, it’s done”

“Man, it looks awesome there” Wooseok was quick to walk inside the room, right to where Yuto was sitting, taking his wrist to make him stand up so he could see the tattoo better through the translucent film wrapper. “I might follow you and make my next tattoo right there”.

“Copycat” Yuto said, his smile widening as he let the younger male admire his tattoo, it had been an amazing idea after all. Still he couldn’t find himself saying anything about Hyunggu. Is not that he didn’t want to, is that he didn’t know how to come up with the matter and he wouldn’t do it like _Hey Wooseok, I think I fell in love with the tattoo artist that made my tattoo and I almost told him about my sister because we connected somehow and now I want to see him again but I don’t know how to._

No, he definitely couldn’t do that.

So he just stood there, trying to make up his mind. Maybe this was just a onetime thing and he’ll never see Hyunggu again and their small connection would be nothing but a temporary thing. Even if he wanted to go back again, even if he wanted to ask Hyunggu out, only for the opportunity to get to know him better. But he didn’t know how, plus, Hyunggu had a lot of admirers and maybe he even already had someone in his life and Yuto was here thinking about him.

He shook his head and slapped himself mentally, he needed to get rid of the thought of Hyunggu. Even if he wanted to go, even if he wanted him. Maybe he’ll get over it by tomorrow.

* * *

_Lies_.

Yuto wasn’t over it. He wasn’t over Hyunggu. Not even after days. Not even after his tattoo was fully healed.

He tried following Wooseok’s advices and start talking with more people, even flirting with a couple of them, people who got attracted to him thanks to this small piece of art on his arm, even if it was one of the simplest designs he’d seen. But none of them was Hyunggu, none of them made the effect Hyunggu had on Yuto, and it was so frustrating. He couldn’t let a single boy come and turn his world upside down after a couple of hours spent with him, he couldn’t. But he did.

The worst part is that he had actually thought about talking to him again, and the worst, worst part of everything is what he thought of doing for it.

He wouldn’t admit it, to himself or to Wooseok, but he spent the last days looking up for other tattoo designs. There he was, after years of denying the idea of it he was thinking about going back to the tattoo parlor to get another tattoo just because he wanted to see Hyunggu again.

He was feeling kinda pathetic, if he was being honest, but it was the first time he felt something like this.

So in the end, three weeks after his first tattoo and two days after he received his monthly income from his parents (and extra credit from his sister after she loved his tattoo), he found himself walking down the street until he reached Pentory again. He opened the door, feeling oddly welcomed by the distinct neon blue lights on the reception.

He made his way up to the semi-circular table, hoping to find Changgu there but instead, he was met with Hyojong, the guy animatedly reading a book until he noticed someone walking to him. There wasn’t any letter on the desk that day, so he was quick to stand up, greeting him with a smile.

“Hey, you’re the guy from that day. Yuto” Yuto’s eyes dart open, jaw falling slightly as he processed the words. Hyojong let out a soft laugh as he saw his reaction, waving a disinterested hand at him “Yes, I recognized you, sorry I couldn’t greet you properly back then, too busy”. He shrugged, his expression turning into something a bit more teasing, sly smile forming on his lips. “Also how could I not? Changgu told me you already call Hyunggu by his name after one single session, you’re really something else”

There it was again, and coming from Hyojong this time. Yuto didn’t know why it was so weird for them that Hyunggu told him to call him by his real name, it wasn’t a big thing as he could remember.

He was about to ask why that was such a big thing when he heard one of the doors open, two shadows walking side by side until they showed up. Hyunggu was accompanying a girl till the reception, her wrist covered up in plastic film wrap, cherry blossoms freshly tattooed on her skin.

“Oh” Hyunggu recognized him quickly when he lifted his gaze; smile blooming on his face as he walked until he stood right in front of him, leaving the girl with Hyojong as she paid for her tattoo and everything for the aftercare. “Yuto, you came again”

Yuto smiled, his heart doing a weird flip as soon as Hyunggu recognized him, the way he acted when he realized he was there enough to add a new soft spot for the shorter male. He was too whipped for his own good and this was going to kill him anytime soon, he didn’t even know if Hyunggu was already taken. He wouldn’t be surprised if that was the case, even if that meant he totally lost his chance. Yuto lifted both hands, waving them at Hyunggu slightly. “Surprise”

“Amazing surprise, actually”. The shorter male turned to the reception desk then, leaning a bit on the semi-circular table to catch Hyojong’s attention as soon as the girl he was attending left the parlor, the door locking behind her as she walked outside. “Hyojong hyung, I’m done for now, you can send him with me”

Hyojong gave Hyunggu something between a smile and a smirk, sending shivers down Yuto’s spine. He had a naughty spark in his eyes as he turned his gaze to Yuto, making a gesture with his head, pointing to the hallway with it. “Alright then, follow the expert over there boy, you know how he works now so explain everything to him”

“Thanks” Hyunggu said, turning then to Yuto. “Let’s go”. Hyunggu started walking then, waiting for Yuto to follow him to his room. It was a passage Yuto wouldn’t say he was accustomed to, but the familiarity of it was enough to ease his nerves. Even if he already did his first tattoo, he was still a bit afraid of pain and needles but, his curiosity was even bigger, so, when they were a bit far from the reception, almost reaching Hyunggu’s work place, he called him out.

“Hyunggu” said boy let out a soft hum for Yuto to understand he was listening while they made their way to his room. He tilted his head a bit, walking inside the familiar four walls again, trailing behind the shorter boy. “Why is everybody so surprised I call you that and not Kino?”

Hyunggu stopped and turned around to meet him. He seemed relaxed, as if he was already waiting for that question to come up, but instead of giving Yuto a concrete answer, he only smiled at him, nose scrunching up in such a cue way Yuto almost forgot what he asked in first place. “Don’t mind them, they just want to tease you. Now, do you already have a design prepared again?”

“Oh, yes” Yuto took his phone out of his jeans, tapping the screen to find the design he chose this time, ignoring Hyunggu’s way of ignoring his question to go straight to business, maybe he’ll get the reason later. “This one”

“Wah” Hyunggu’s jaw dropped when he saw it, it was way different from his first one, the design being a bit more complex even if it’ll be a bit smaller, Yuto didn’t want to cover his whole body just yet. He chose the design of a half clock, half compass with a long vertical arrow in the middle of it, separating both halves. The direction arrow had movement lines on each extreme, making the illusion of it moving. He had always liked to travel, choosing the right time to run away wherever the north pointed out. It was a weird habit of him, running away, but he had to live with it and now he’ll take advantage of it giving it another better meaning. “Looks good, where is this going?”

Yuto pointed his thumb to his back, and even if Hyunggu seemed to understand, he still emphasized. “Left shoulder”

Hyunggu nodded, grabbing the phone and then going to the table, taking out paper and the markers to walk to the drawing table, offering Yuto a sweet smile. “Should we start then?”

Yuto smiled widely at him while Hyunggu sat down on the drawing table, ready to start scribbling his design. Yuto himself sat down comfortable on the tattooing chair, giving him a sly smile. “Absolutely”

* * *

One turned to two, and then it turned to three. Then, Yuto already had a total of five tattoos perfectly printed on his skin, from the Japanese characters written on his right bicep, to the compass on his shoulder. He made three more in the span of three months, a rose similar to the one Hyunggu had on the back of his hand designed beautifully on his forearm. He also chose the Aquarius constellation on his right side, a little above his ribs. And finally, because he was a fan like that, One Piece Zoro’s swords on the back, a little bit below his nape, enough for them to be hidden behind his shirts.

The three extra tattoos had a normal size, not too big but enough to be noticeable, and all of them were made for the same exact boy, the boy that in three months had won Yuto’s heart completely.

They fell in a routine of sort, Yuto visiting Hyunggu’s tattooing room more times than he could count, leaving always with one more string attached to Hyunggu. The boy quickly became confident on him, and even started to share fun stories about his childhood while he worked on Yuto, the latter doing all in his willpower not to laugh or cringe in case that would ruin his tattoos, especially the ones he made on his back and shoulder. Yuto did as well, he wasn’t confident around much people so he had to take advantage of how much Hyunggu gave him the confidence to speak up and talk like they knew each other for years instead of a couple of months.

Hyunggu would sit on the drawing table while Yuto would wait for him on the tattooing chair, the shorter male stealing glances once in a while when he felt Yuto’s eyes on him, the latter always staring at him while his slender, delicate fingers worked on the designs that would be attached to his skin hours later. Hyunggu would give him a single smile before he returned his eyes to the paper and that would be enough for Yuto to drop everything and ask him out right there, but it wasn’t the time, not yet.

Hyunggu never mentioned anyone in the months Yuto visited him, so that meant maybe there wasn’t anyone special in his life. Still, Yuto was a bit afraid to ask because he didn’t want to look like those secret admirers Hyunggu had. (Plus, he started feeling a bit jealous about those, but Hyunggu didn’t need to know that, yet). So he tried to get hints here and there, but no result yet.

He could wait, he didn’t mind waiting, and that was a problem. Because he had never been the patient type, if the guy didn’t want anything, the he could’ve dropped the issue after the first two tattoos, but he felt so bound to Hyunggu, he was willing to wait years if that was the case, and that was frightening. Yuto didn’t like stability, Yuto didn’t like staying in the same place for more than a month, and it had been three, it shouldn’t have lasted this long, but he wasn’t any less interested in Hyunggu, in any case, it was the exact opposite, Hyunggu stealing his heart with each look, each smile, each loud, bubbly laugh he let go each time Yuto made an attempt on being funny. Sometimes Yuto would make an attempt of flirt and he would be surprised each time when Hyunggu flirted back, he didn’t know if he did it only for fun, but it made things impossible harder for him.

It didn’t help that Hyunggu was the only one who had ever made a tattoo on him, not even Changgu taking his place even if he was the one he felt closer to ever since he visited the parlor (he was almost always behind the reception desk when Yuto decided to drop in). It wasn’t his decision for him to be his tattoo artist only, it just happened, or that was what Yuto thought until now.

The first two were a coincidence. That was for sure. The third one was less than a coincidence and more of a request from Yuto, even if he had just met Shinwon finally that day, asking if Hyunggu was free to get another tattoo. Shinwon didn’t complain, just saying “Sure, you know where he works, just go”. Changing shifts was fun for sure because he got to meet the other two boys better, apart from Hyunggu and Changgu.

At his fourth tattoo, Changgu just basically told him to wait until Hyunggu was done with his client, not even bothering to look into the register to see if any of the other two boys were already free to help him. Not that Yuto would’ve cared, actually, he didn’t have anything against Hyojong or Shinwon, but neither of them seemed to have at least a bit of interest on tattooing him after his third visit, they just greeted him, and chatted with him when he came around and along with Changgu, asked how his “business” relationship with Hyunggu was going.

Teasing also became part of the equation, the three of them joined to make his minutes long and torturous while Hyunggu finished his things before he was free to start his sessions with Yuto. Like asking if he would ever do a “private” tattoo that only Hyunggu and his future partner would get to see (they basically made him spill if he was single, it became harder after that). Since they knew he was single and he gave at least a bit of a hint that he was interested in Hyunggu, they made their sessions almost painful, metaphorically, opening the door each ten minutes just to ask how things were going or if any of them needed anything.

Hyunggu almost threw one of his precious machines to Hyojong when he popped out of nowhere, opening the door so hard it banged on the wall, the loud noise enough to make Hyunggu jump in his place, thanking everything in universe that he was dipping the machine in the ink instead of dipping the needles in Yuto’s forearm.

There was that, and then there was Wooseok.

Yuto absolutely refused to show Wooseok his tattoos, deciding to wear long sleeved sweaters, and shirts and even hoodies, thanking everything precious in the world for summer to be finally fading out, leaving place for fall. Even if the weather was still cool to keep wearing short sleeved shirts, Yuto refused to wear them. He had enough with the boys teasing to get more from Wooseok. It was hard keeping this secret to him, especially when they finished his semester and hanged out a lot of times just because they could.

He was being a coward, he knew that, Wooseok would be amazed and happy that he decided to paste more tattoos on his skin after denying the idea of it for years. But then, he’ll had to ask what happened for him to change his mind so radically, to even get five tattoos in such a short amount of time and Yuto was never good at lying, and even if he tried, Wooseok would look through them, finding out the reason why he was so eager to visit Pentory so many times.

Unfortunately for Yuto, Wooseok already started suspecting about it. (Bad at lying, there he was)

Since they had no classes the last month when Yuto got two more tattoos (both on his left arm respectively making that seven in total), He didn’t have any reason to go out, to study or go to the library, so his excuses seemed pretty shitty to Wooseok. He never was the one to accept an invitation around there if he wasn’t interested and if Yuto had to go out so many times in the past months then it had to be a reason behind it.

Of course, he was quick to react because a Saturday, both of them sitting comfortably on the couch, catching the One Piece episodes they missed because of college, Wooseok brought the issue into the conversation.

“You know” Wooseok stuffed the last handful of popcorns to his mouth, chewing slowly while he saw the chapter, eyes never leaving the screen but his words were enough for Yuto to turn to him where he was sitting, swallowing the last bits of popcorn he had on his mouth. “I know you’re my best friend and that you trust in me but that only makes you more susceptible on everything you do”

Yuto swallowed thick, turning his head to the screen again when realization hit him, unable to look at Wooseok. “What do you mean with that?”

“You’re lying to me” Wooseok said, leaving the empty popcorn bowl on the floor, he’ll pick it up later after all. Yuto was about to panic when the taller male let out a soft chuckle, smiling softly and somehow making the guilt in Yuto ease just a bit. “That sounded so weird, it’s almost like I’m your boyfriend and I just found out you’re cheating on me”. Yuto smiled, thankful at Wooseok’s way to manage these kinds of things, even if he was a bit younger than Yuto, he handled the situations with a clearer mind and always looked at the wide panoramic before he talked more than he should, something Yuto should learn from. “There’s something you’re not telling me”

Yuto knew that he, eventually, would have to bring this up, but he wasn’t prepared. He handled teasing from the boys pretty well because he didn’t know them that much and their opinions weren’t as important as Wooseok’s. Of course they were Hyunggu’s friends and their opinions on him were important in terms of getting close to Hyunggu, but Wooseok was different, he had been his best friend for a while now, and he literally knew all the ins and outs of Yuto’s emotional life.

It was hard for Yuto to admit he liked someone as much as he liked Hyunggu, because he wasn’t the one to fall so easily, after years of trying it. He liked one night things, for sure, who didn’t? But never more than that, and susceptibility wasn’t something he would like to show. But again, Wooseok knew everything, and his advices were always so accurate Yuto was afraid he thought Hyunggu wasn’t the one for him, or that he was going way too far just for him. He was afraid to realize he did everything out of a straight impulse than for something as truthful as Hyunggu.

“It’s okay, you know?” Wooseok added after long seconds of silence where only the voices of the anime characters were filling the slight tension in the small living room. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want, I just hope that, whatever you’re hiding, is making you happy, because I don’t want you to be involved in some kind of trouble that you think I can’t help you with”

Yuto felt a strong wave of guilt roaming around his body now that Wooseok finally expressed something he might’ve gotten bottled up since a long time ago, all because Yuto was afraid of what he was going to say. Hyunggu has been the only thing Yuto felt attached to as much as leaving his comfort zone aside and fall in some sort of routine that felt right, and he was afraid the only thing that felt stable in his life now was going to break down to crumbs with one word. Still, Wooseok was worried for him, and it was only fair for him to know the truth. Yuto didn’t want to let go of Hyunggu if he ever had to, but he didn’t want to lose his best friend over insecurities either.

He was on the horns of a dilemma; something he thought would never happen but here he was.

So, in a couple of seconds, Yuto stood up from the couch, looking down at Wooseok who had a hurt expression, thinking Yuto would leave him alone without any answer, even if he had said he didn’t want one, he still expected Yuto to trust in him.

Yuto gave back an apologetic look, for every single second of worry Wooseok spent on him, but he wasn’t leaving like Wooseok thought. Instead, he placed his hands on the hem of his hoodie, somehow thanking everything in fate that he wasn’t wearing any shirt underneath, the hoodie enough to keep him warm. He lifted the hoodie in a smooth movement, removing it from his body and letting it fall to the ground, revealing finally the ink adhered to his skin, all of them fully healed, blossoming over his tanned arms, and he hadn’t showed him the ones on his back.

Wooseok stared at him, a shadow of something between shock and realization crossing his face. Yuto had never felt as guilty as he felt now, knowing everything Wooseok would say with this, so, before he started making assumptions on why he even decided to hide these things from him, when he was the one to insist him to get one, Yuto spoke. “First things firsts, I’m okay, alright? I’m good, I’m not in the middle of some sort of trouble, I’m sorry if I was worrying you. Second, I’m sorry I hid this from you, but I was afraid”.

“Afraid of what? I was the one who made you chose that thing on your right bicep” Wooseok pointed to his arm, where the Japanese characters were written. His expression changed from surprise to something between hurt and anger, but Yuto knew he wasn’t angry at him, only a bit disappointed on why he would hide something like this to him when he was involved in first place.

Yuto shook his head slightly, biting the inner side of his lips while he tried to find the correct words to sum up everything that had been happening lately with him. “I wasn’t afraid of this, I was afraid of what you would say about… the sudden change. I know you’re wondering why the heck I went from not wanting any tattoo to get seven in total-” Wooseok gasped when he heard Yuto, standing up from his seat on the couch and suddenly Yuto felt so small, so exposed. He felt confident as long as Wooseok was sitting but he was taller than him, so with his surprised self he managed to look intimidating even to Yuto who thought the boy was anything but frightening.

“Seven????? I see… five” Wooseok pointed to his arms and the constellation on his ribs. Yuto sighed, turning around to reveal the compass and the Zoro swords on his back. Wooseok gasped again, and before Yuto could even turn around again, he felt a strong hand on his shoulder, making him yelp in pain. “You got a Zoro tattoo and didn’t tell me, you sick bastard, I hate you”

“Ouch” Yuto turned around, caressing his shoulder right where Wooseok had slapped him, looking at the taller boy in front of him. “Sorry, sorry. Now would you please let me continue?” Yuto gave Wooseok a pleading look, the latter nodding while he crossed his arms on his chest, ready to hear anything that Yuto had to tell him about this whole situation. “As I say, I know you have a lot of questions about it, but everything I can tell you is that I was afraid you’ll tell me these were bad decisions. Not because of the tattoo but because…” Yuto sighed, trying to get the courage to admit it finally, this would mean he really was interested in Hyunggu and that he was ready to hear everything Wooseok had to say about it. “Because of the reason I did them. I… got my own tattoo artist I think? Went to the same tattoo parlor to make all of these and by the same boy, Hyunggu. I went there only to see him and since he has been working only with me I think I’ve had a big ass crush on him for like three months straight”

Wooseok tilted his head, his eyebrows furrowing. “Who?”

It was Yuto’s turn to be surprised, his jaw slightly dropping as he tried to link his brain cells to know why Wooseok didn’t know Hyunggu when he had been there a couple of times and Hyunggu knew who he was. “Hyunggu” Yuto repeated, but as soon as the name rolled off his tongue, he let out a soft chuckle, remembering that the guy also had an artistic name. “I meant Kino”

“Oh, him” Wooseok changed his expression quickly, realization hitting on him as soon as he heard the name. Yuto, again, wanted to know why not many people got to know Hyunggu’s real name, and the boy itself refused to talk about it, spinning the issue until he changed the topic. Then, Wooseok turned in a bundle of giggles, placing both hands on his best friend’s shoulders, rocking him back and forward so hard Yuto’s head started spinning with the motion and with how fast Wooseok changed his whole mood. “Yuto has a crush! I thought that’ll never happen, I thought you hated being stuck”

There he was, his biggest fear revealed but somehow, it didn’t feel accusatory as Yuto thought would feel, it felt more like Wooseok was actually happy Yuto started coming out of his shell finally. Now that the atmosphere was back to normal, Yuto made Wooseok sit again, claiming his spot next to him one more time. “That’s the thing, I don’t feel… stuck with him. I like him for real even if that meant being stabbed with that goddamn machine for months”

“Were you afraid I was going to tell you that you were being a stupid for marking your skin forever for a single boy?” Wooseok said, making Yuto stick out his lower lip, pouting while he gave him a single nod. “Well, you do are stupid”

“Wow, thanks” Yuto rolled his eyes, not knowing if he should feel flattered or betrayed.

“You know you are” Wooseok waved a disinterested hand at him. “Still, I think this is the happiest I’ve seen you in months, Yuto, and I mean that. You might’ve taken rushed decisions, but you had never been this far for someone, and that only means you really care about him and that you really like him. And if he makes you happy, then I can’t stop you. Just make sure what you’re doing is right and take things a bit slower so they can work”

“Thank you” Yuto gave Wooseok a sincere smile now, full with confidence. This is why Wooseok was his best friend after all, even if he hid things from him, he ended giving him good advices after all. “I was planning on doing one more. Now that you’ve seen them, wanna come with me?”

“Another one? Look at you, boy” Wooseok let out a loud laugh, bending down while he hit Yuto’s leg with his palm numerous times, shaking his head when he caught his breath again. “Man, you really are so whipped” Yuto felt his cheeks heat up at Wooseok’s words, not much accustomed to be teased like this even if Hyunggu’s friends did it on daily basis almost. “Okay, I wanted to get the one I told you I was gonna copy from you on my bicep so let’s go, I wanna see how my friend manages to embarrass himself in front of the boy he likes”

“You’re the absolute worst” Yuto let out a frustrated groan, not ready to handle the amount of teasing he’ll get from his best friend.

Wooseok let out a soft giggle again, leaning down to lay on the couch, placing his head on Yuto’s lap while he balanced his legs from the couch since it was too small for him. He looked up at Yuto, wide smile blooming on his face. “But you love me”

Yuto nodded, smiling widely while he ruffled Wooseok’s hair from where he had his head on his lap. “Yeah, I do, dork”

* * *

Somewhere next week, Yuto found himself opening the door of the tattoo parlor for the nth time but this time, Wooseok walked behind him, both getting inside and walking to the reception desk where Hyojong was this time.

“Aye, Yuto, what a surprise” The older said, in a clearly teasing tone since he spent already various days around there.

“Good to see you too, hyung.” Yuto rolled his eyes, smiling “I bought Wooseok this time, he told me you made his roses on his neck last time” Hyojong nodded while Yuto leaned a bit on the desk. “Can-”

“Kino is free, Yuto, you know that if he was busy I would’ve told you as soon as you walked in” The older said and Yuto would be lying if he said he wasn’t at least a bit flustered at his forwardness. Along with Shinwon, Hyojong was the one to make the most direct comments towards him, no matter who was around but there was something with Wooseok there that made him the more nervous because if he noticed the way he reacted, then at home, he’ll keep bothering him as well and he already had enough with Hyunggu’s friends.

Just as he was about to tell Hyojong he wasn’t going to ask about Hyunggu (he wanted to know who was free to get Wooseok his next tattoo), Shinwon walked down the aisle, joining Hyojong behind the reception desk. “Oh wow, it’s Yuto” he said in such a monotone tone, Yuto found himself whining internally, _God help me_ , he thought. “And with a cute friend, why haven’t I seen him before, Yuto?”

“You’ve seen me” Wooseok said, finally, a distraction for them. “You made these” He pointed to the roman numerals on his forearm, Shinwon’s eyes darting open when he recognized them.

“Oh shit, you’re Wooseok. What happened to your green frog hair?” Shinwon asked, clearly surprised at Wooseok’s new hair. He let it grow for the past months and dyed it back to black. Whoever met him during his short, green hair phase wouldn’t recognize him, just as how happened to Shinwon.

“Just grew” Wooseok shrugged. “And thank you, I think you’re cute too” He said, smiling when he caught a slight blush on the apples of Shinwon’s cheeks.

“The tension here is worse than the one with Yuto and Hyunggu” Hyojong scrunched his nose, shaking his head. “Wooseok you’re getting something done?” Wooseok nodded, Hyojong scribbling down on the register notebook quickly before he added “Go with Shinwon then, he’s the only one free now and I can’t send you with Kino because your friend and my friend would murder me”

“ _Hyung_ ” Yuto whined now, unable to hold it back anymore.

“Please, Yuto, Hyunggu would be so happy to see you. He said he loves being the only one who marks your skin” Shinwon said, happy that the attention went back to Yuto as usual.

Yuto let out a soft gasp when he heard Shinwon, _what the hell_? “Wait, he said what?”

“Oh right, he said he’ll be angry at us if we dare to touch your _‘so smooth, divine, magnificent, exquisite honey skin’_ , it’s kinda sickening sometimes but we ended accepting he’ll be your one and only” Hyojong said, clearly holding back a laugh when he noticed Yuto’s reaction. Yuto felt his whole face burning, not knowing how to react, this was by far the most they’ve said to him.

They had to be lying, they really had to.

“Ugh, just stop. The teasing is even worse than the needles so I’ll go, don’t you dare say anything else” Yuto rolled his eyes, not even batting an eye to them while he walked down the aisle right to Hyunggu’s room. Yuto knocked on the door twice before he opened the door.

Hyunggu was sitting on the drawing table, marker on his hand as he sketched on the paper. As soon as he heard the door close, he lifted his head from where he was drawing, a wide smile blooming on his face as soon as he recognized Yuto. “Oh, hey, pretty boy”

“Hey” Yuto smiled back, walking to the chair right in front of the drawing table, sitting while Hyunggu went back to work. “How are you?”

Hyunggu let out a loud and heavy sigh, sticking his lower lip out in a rather cute pout. “Bored and sketching over here, my agenda is basically free today and even if I thank this after a rough day yesterday, I still need to do something or I’ll get too bored”

“Poor little baby” Yuto said, his voice low and soft. He wanted to stand up, walk around the table and squish his cheeks with how cute Hyunggu looked pouting like that, but he controlled himself on time. Still, on a more playful tone he added “Well, I’m here to make your day better”

Hyunggu giggled, taking his lower lip between his teeth for a second before he let it go, smiling and stealing a glance at Yuto before he returned it to the paper. “Oh, that you do, for sure”.

When Hyunggu said things like that, it only made Yuto want to keep flirting with him as much as it was humanly possible. Even if lines weren’t as obvious sometimes, Hyunggu managed to answer exactly what Yuto wanted to hear. He was so whipped.

“What were you working on?” Yuto asked, not getting right what Hyunggu was making on the paper since it was upside down from where he was sitting. Hyunggu stopped for a second, removing the marker to lift the paper and show it to Yuto. It was a simple sketch of a feather, but it still looked really good, Yuto wondered where Hyunggu developed such a skill to draw, it was something so natural of him. “It looks beautiful”. Yuto said sincerely. Then, the next second something came to him, even if he didn’t know if Hyunggu would like it. “Can I be the privileged one to have that original piece of art on me?”

“I actually did it thinking about you” Hyunggu confessed while he finished his sketch, leaving the markers aside. Yuto could feel his breath getting stuck in his throat, holding back a grin when he heard him. Good to know Hyunggu thought about him as much as Yuto did.

“Oh, really?” Yuto thanked his voice didn’t break right there even if he still felt a bit flustered for Hyunggu’s words. “I’m honored, Mr. Kang”

“You should be, Adachi, you’re my best client until now, I can’t let you go until I’m satisfied working on you” Hyunggu said, letting out a soft laugh while he stood up, Yuto doing exactly the same.

“Hmmm, that sounds good, not that I was thinking about leaving any time soon, though” Yuto said, placing both hands in the pocket of his pants. He kept himself standing while Hyunggu saved the pencils in the drawer.

He turned around then, giving Yuto a sealed lip smile, eyes turning to crescents before he added. “Better be, now sit down before I make you”

Yuto lifted one of his eyebrows, looking down at Hyunggu when the shorter male walked until they were both in a close distance, their bodies almost touching but the short distance between them was enough to make Yuto ache for more, almost taking the risk to take one single step forward until he had Hyunggu against him finally. But again, he controlled himself, so he just said “I’d like to see how you’d make me”

“Just sit, jerk, I’m gonna throw you one of my machines to your big head” Hyunggu let out a loud groan, followed by an equal laugh, lifting one of his hands and placing it right on Yuto’s abdomen, pushing him so he could move aside and sit already. “Where do you want this?”

“I think it’ll look good here” Yuto pointed to the right side of his neck while he sat on the tattooing chair, getting comfortable as Hyunggu prepared himself for the long session that was waiting for them.

“Great choice” Hyunggu said, smiling while he finished preparing himself sitting right next to Yuto on his chair and taking the cleanser and a cotton bud to clean the area on Yuto’s neck. Hyunggu leaned a bit more, his breath fanning the back of Yuto’s head slightly, making him shiver unnoticeably. Hyunggu’s free hand removed a couple of hair strands from Yuto’s face, placing them behind his ear. The area wasn’t even close to his neck but he still did it and Yuto could feel his heart pumping in his chest so strongly he was afraid Hyunggu might’ve hear it.

Yuto felt like times like these, Hyunggu actually reciprocated his feelings and it didn’t feel too one-sided. He wanted to know what Hyunggu thought about him, not as a client, or as a friend. He wanted to know what he thought about him as a man, if he could be enough for him, if he was even his type to start with. He remembered the conversation he had with Shinwon and Hyojong before and something started spinning in his mind, something that kept him almost unbothered to the pain for almost all the session.

Still, even when Hyunggu finished, Yuto didn’t have the guts to ask if what Hyojong and Shinwon said was true.

_Oh._

But he did ask something.

Hyunggu’s number.

* * *

“At this point I need to give you the keys of my room for when I’m not here” Hyunggu said as soon as Yuto made his way inside his tattooing room somewhere next month, a paper bag on his hand. Fall was already greatly established just like Yuto’s new semester, but even if he couldn’t come to the parlor as much as he did on his free time, he still came around only to say hi to everyone. He also made sure to always bring something warm to Hyunggu, so the boy wouldn’t freeze now that the air was getting colder, even if his room was warm enough.

“Don’t say you didn’t miss me” Yuto said, walking to where Hyunggu was sitting on the drawing table. He left the paper bag over it, making Hyunggu stop his sketching.

“I saw you two days ago and we talk about funny animal videos on daily basis in our chat, of course I didn’t” Hyunggu rolled his eyes, but didn’t hide the fond smile that took place on his face as he felt the distinct smell of vanilla and cinnamon coming from the bag.

“Well, I’m here to stay a bit longer than these past days, be happy” Yuto lifted one of his hands, placing it on Hyunggu’s head to ruffle his dark hair, soft locks pointing everywhere.

“Hey, stop that” Hyunggu said, trying to sound annoyed but his smile betrayed him. “What do you mean you’re staying?”

“I need a new tattoo before semester takes a toll on me” Yuto said, Hyunggu immediately lighting up at the mention of it. “I want a violet”

“Oh” Hyunggu felt his cheeks heating up, he remembered saying something like violets being his favorite flowers. “I can do those without a sketch. I can draw it directly on your skin”

“Oh, you can?” Yuto asked, already making his way to the tattooing chair, taking his coat off and leaving it aside on it.

“Yes, you don’t trust me, Adachi?” Hyunggu lifted one of his eyebrows as well, taking one of the markers and then he got closer to the chair. Yuto gave him a so-so look, Hyunggu already on his way to smack his arm when Yuto tugged the ends of his shirt, lifting it up and leaving it aside; he also pushed his pants down just enough to reveal his sharp hipbones. “What are you doing?”

“Uh, getting ready?” Yuto tilted his head to the side a bit, cocky smile on his lips as he sat on the chair. “I want that here” Yuto said, pointing to his hip, right above his hipbones.

“O-Oh” Hyunggu felt his whole face burning now, Yuto was enjoying teasing him for sure. Yuto himself was enjoying the reaction Hyunggu had while he took the chair. “Spread your legs then”

“Oh?” It was Yuto’s turn to get flustered now as he spread his legs, Hyunggu placing the chair in front of the tattooing one, making himself comfortable between him as he cleaned the area with the cleanser and the cotton bud. “What a view”

“Shut up or I’m gonna give you an ugly rose instead of a violet” Hyunggu rolled his eyes, throwing the cotton to the trash can before he bended down a bit, enough to reach Yuto’s hipbone, sketching the borders of the violet as good as he could, his arms as close to his own body as he could to avoid touching anywhere but his hip.

Once he was finished, he stood up, leaving the chair to prepare himself, putting the black gloves on and preparing the inks he needed for the tattoo, dropping them into the small recipients before he returned to his place between Yuto’s legs.

Hyunggu started working quickly on him, bending down as he placed his left arm on Yuto’s lower abdomen, right above the waistband of his pants while his right worked the machine on him. Yuto stared down at Hyunggu, head tilting to the side, smirk already forming on his lips as his words rolled off his tongue. “You know, if you were in my position you’ll realize this is kinda erotic”

Yuto hissed when he felt Hyunggu pressing the machine a bit harder on him. Hyunggu looked up at him through eyelashes, making Yuto almost regret what he said, but he kept his smirk. “If you get a hard on I’m gonna cut it” Hyunggu said before he kept his pace on the tattoo.

Yuto chuckled, biting his lower lip at Hyunggu’s harsh words. “It’ll be your fault anyways”

“Ugly rose, Yuto, remember” He couldn’t see Hyunggu’s face from where he was working but he heard the smile on his voice.

“Oh, you know” Yuto said, suddenly remembering the conversation he avoided a month ago. “I kinda heard that you like marking me” Yuto said, not knowing where this sudden confidence came from. Maybe because he already spent more time with Hyunggu to know how to push his buttons and get him flustered and nervous. He knew he shouldn’t do it while he was holding a potential torture machine that he could use on him but he wanted to give it a shot.

Hyunggu choked, separating the machine from Yuto’s hip as he coughed, trying to catch his breath again. Oh, so he _did_ say that back then. “Yuto I swear, I don’t know what’s going on with you but you’re unbearable today. Just shut up and let me work” he said, but as angry as he wanted to sound, his cheeks were incredibly red, making Yuto even more confident on teasing him. The shy Yuto was no longer there and he was enjoying it.

“You should teach me” Yuto added when Hyunggu started working on the tattoo again. “So I can mark you too”

“If you ever want to mark me I’d appreciate it won’t be through a needle, Yuto-ssi”. Hyunggu said, making Yuto’s grin even wider. As much as he liked shy and flustered Hyunggu, when he decided to flirt back or answer his comments the same way Yuto did, Yuto became even more and more attached to him.

The room fell silent after that, only the sound of the machine echoing in the walls. Yuto stared down at Hyunggu all the time, looking how his hand moved the machine over the edges of the flower in smooth strokes until he started the coloring.

After around half an hour of work, Yuto took one of his hands straight to Hyunggu’s hair, playing with the strands slightly. He took a look at his features then, concentration written all over his face as he worked on the violet with delicacy and precision. He let out a soft sigh, not even realizing he had spoken up until it was too late and his brain decided to start working again, making him know his thoughts were spoken out loud. “Is it too bad that I want to take that machine off you and kiss you?”

Hyunggu stopped working again, removing the machine off Yuto’s skin only a bit. He stayed there, immobile for a second before he started his task again. “If you shut up right now I might even consider it”

Yuto smiled for real now, humming to make Hyunggu know he’ll do just as he asked. “Deal”

The rest of the time went through faster than Yuto would’ve imagined, Hyunggu immediately putting translucent film wrapper over it with the special tape until it was safely covered. He removed himself from his position between Yuto’s legs, letting him change back again.

Yuto put his shirt back on along with his coat in silence while Hyunggu threw the gloves to the trash can. As soon as it was time for Yuto to leave, they both stared at each other in silence, not even knowing what to say. It was a bit awkward to say the least, they always had something to say after they finished, like discussing the final result, Hyunggu giving ideas for another one, Yuto as well, but now.

“So… I should leave” Yuto said, but he didn’t want. Today was different, both knew. Both pushed a button that neither of them had touched before and it was making the tension grow up pretty fast.

“Yeah… you should” Hyunggu said, softly, Yuto almost didn’t hear him. “But” he cleared his throat, shy smile blooming on him while he took a couple of steps forward until their distance was almost non-existent, just the way they were before but again, this was different, more sure, more real. “Let’s say I considered the kissing part”

“Oh” Yuto held back a grin, trying to smile as normal as he could even if his heart was beating so hard he heard it loud and clear pumping in his ears. “And what’s your final decision then?”

Hyunggu didn’t answer. Instead, he finally closed the distance between them, pressing his body against Yuto’s as he lifted his arms, wrapping them around Yuto’s arms, tiptoeing a bit so he could lock their lips. Yuto was quick to react, placing both hands on Hyunggu’s waist, bringing him impossibly closer to him, tilting his head a bit to part his lips and capture Hyunggu’s better.

The kiss started soft, sweet but it quickly became a bit rougher, Yuto pushing Hyunggu back until Hyunggu’s back was against the wall. Yuto grasped his waist tightly while Hyunggu’s fingers ran through the strands of Yuto’s hair, pushing him down just a little to keep their lips linked. Hyunggu was soft and sweet and he tasted a bit of mint, Yuto drowning on the taste of it, wanting more, so much more, his tongue licking Hyunggu’s lower lip each time he had the opportunity of it.

Unfortunately for them, their makeup session got interrupted by the door being opened all of a sudden. “Hyunggu are you do-Whoa”. Shinwon stared at them with his eyes wide when they pull apart, surprised at the sudden intervention. Shinwon pressed his lips in a tight line, taking the doorknob to close the door again “Okay then, never mind”. Shinwon closed the door but straight up two seconds later he opened it again, walking inside and crossing his arms on his chest. “Oh wait, yes, mind it. Your next client is up in the line so you might wanna, I don’t know? Leave this for later and get back to work for God’s sake?”

Hyunggu chuckled, nodding to the older male. “Okay, give me a minute, please leave”

“Hell no, where’s my guarantee that you won’t start ripping each other’s clothes in the middle of your work shift? The sexual tension is enough to break the walls” Shinwon stood there, not moving an inch as he eyed them up and down. “I have nothing against you, I already knew you’ll start hitting on each other soon but not at work, Ggu”

“I got it, damn it” Hyunggu sighed, moving his gaze to Yuto once again, the taller boy removing his hands from his waist, Hyunggu already missing them on him. “Sorry, I should’ve known better”

“It’s okay” Yuto said, licking his lips, fighting the urge to kiss Hyunggu again.

“You can come to my place later” Hyunggu said softly, trying that Yuto would be the only one to hear that. “I’ll text you the address so we can talk about this, alright?”

“Seems good to me” Yuto nodded, leaning down to give Hyunggu a quick peck before he walked to finally leave the room.

“This was such a cringey foreplay, I got goosebumps. I’m never visiting this room ever again” Shinwon said as he followed Yuto outside.

“For future references, I really think you shouldn’t” Hyunggu said before Shinwon closed the door, making him groan in annoyance and Yuto laugh at his forwardness.

Yuto left the parlor with the biggest smile and the happiest he has ever been. The message of Hyunggu’s apartment address came up a couple of minutes later. It wasn’t that far from the dorms. He also texted him the time he’d be back home, so he still had a bit of time to see Hyunggu again.

It was weird how he just left and he already missed him, _God_ , he wanted to see him again so badly. The following hours would be eternal.

Eternal or not he finally made it through the hours until he was standing in front of Hyunggu’s apartment door, pressing the doorbell.

A soft looking Hyunggu opened the door, dressed in sport pants and a loose white shirt, the neck line hanging low, revealing roman numerals inked on his collarbone. Yuto had to hold his breath because it was impossible for him to look this good and cute and hot at the same time, he was going to lose his mind. Hyunggu smiled at him, moving aside so Yuto could get inside. “Come on in”

“Thank you” Yuto said, walking inside the apartment. It wasn’t too big, but it sure was enough for a single person, it covered all the needs perfectly. He was busy looking around when he felt a pair of arms sneaking from behind, warm body pressed against his back.

“I missed you” Hyunggu mumbled as loud as he could with his face buried in Yuto’s back. Yuto felt his heart was about to explode with how cute Hyunggu was and he had it only for him.

Yuto unlocked Hyunggu’s arms from him so he could turn around to wrap his arms around his waist, bringing him closer again. “I missed you too”

Hyunggu didn’t wait any more time before he was tiptoeing, linking his lips with Yuto’s. Yuto was about to burst, he was already so addicted to Hyunggu’s lips he felt like heaven kissing him again. They had all the time and privacy now so Yuto slid his hands from Hyunggu’s waist to the back of his thighs, lifting him up in a smooth movement. Hyunggu was quick to link his ankles behind his back.

They kissed what it seemed like ages, lips moving in a slow pace, taking their time to taste each other as much as they could. Hyunggu was the first to break the contact but he didn’t pull apart much, just enough for their lips to be slightly brushing. “You know, as much as I want to talk about it I think we both know where this is going”

Yuto shivered slightly, nodding while he made his way to Hyunggu’s bedroom, carrying him in his arms the way they were now, following the boy’s instructions, leaving him on the bed. As soon as clothes started to be removed they touched everywhere they could, Yuto tracing every single line of Hyunggu’s tattoos under his fingertips, making Hyunggu a mess of sighs and whimpers.

Noticing only his back was untouched from the ink tattoo, Yuto made sure to kiss each tattoo Hyunggu had on his body, from the ones on his thighs, to the ones on his hips, his collarbones and arms, following the strokes with his lips as he made love to him. Slow and smooth, fingers interlocked, Yuto brushing the ink on his knuckles as he kissed him, suddenly realizing being latched to someone was worth it, as long as it was Hyunggu. Always Hyunggu.

“Do you want to know the reason why everyone was so surprised I let you call me Hyunggu in our ever first session?” Hyunggu asked from where he was sitting on Yuto’s lap, his hands moving up and down slowly on Yuto’s bare chest, nails brushing his skin slightly as he was lying down on his bed.

Yuto had one of his hands on Hyunggu’s bare hip underneath the blanket that was covering the lower part of their bodies, his thumb circling the hummingbird tattoo on his hipbone. “Hm? I almost forgot that” Yuto said, looking up at Hyunggu from where he was laying down, letting out a soft chuckle when he felt Hyunggu’s nails digging on his skin, his lower lip already sticking out in a cute pout. “I wanna know, tell me”

“Because I liked you as soon as I saw you the first time” Hyunggu admitted, his hands stopping its movements, leaving them on Yuto’s abdomen, tapping the surface of it with his fingertips. “I never let my clients call me Hyunggu because I’m only their artist, nothing else. I just work for them and to keep that business relationship they need to call me Kino. I don’t let anyone else call me Hyunggu because that means there’s a possibility of a bond forming and that only gives me and the other person hopes of what could happen between us, beyond the business relationship. I’m always afraid that they’ll get to see my most vulnerable side and take advantage of it just because I like them. Some of the letters I got are just people wanting to go out with me or have a one night thing, other are lovely and tell me they admire me for my work, I keep those personally. But I’ve never felt attracted to someone as I am with you”

“I think the feeling is pretty mutual” Yuto said, sincere. He placed both hands on Hyunggu’s slim waist, his fingers caressing his skin slightly. “I’m afraid of getting stuck. I can’t bear staying in the same place too long, I feel trapped and it makes me feel like I’m drowning. I get bored easily, that’s why I always try not to grow fond on anyone, because I don’t want to hurt them. I’ve always liked stability but my insecurities always made me run away from it. Until I found you. I’ve never felt attracted to someone as I am with you. The way I don’t feel tied up, or trapped with you, the way I just want to be with you, keep you forever like the ink on my skin, I think I’m latching onto you way too much but the feeling is so nice I don’t even care about time anymore, you’re the most stable thing I’ve had in my life and I want to be with you for real”

Hyunggu smiled down at him, his eyes sparkling even with the dull light of his room. Neither of them needed to say anything else, so Hyunggu only leaned down, pressing his lips with Yuto’s, kissing him lazily, slowly, taking his time to thank him, Yuto giving it back to him.

Yuto had never felt as happy for being with someone until time wasn’t an issue as he felt right now. It was an unspoken agreement, they belonged to each other, lips locked, hearts latched, both finding sleep and happiness in the other’s arms.

* * *

“Yuto I swear if you keep coming I’ll need you to start doing something productive here or else I’m banning you” Hyojong said when Yuto made his way inside the parlor the next day.

Yuto rolled his eyes, smiling widely. “I give you all money each time I come, I remember you that Hyunggu being my boyfriend doesn’t mean I don’t pay for his work” He shook his head, sighing loudly. “Oh, can you please call him, by the way? I have a surprise for him and he doesn’t know I’m here”

“Why? Not making yourself straight to his room now? I don’t want you making out here, that’ll be weird” Hyojong shivered exaggeratedly, earning a dirty look from Yuto. “Okay, okay” Hyojong pursed his lips before picking up the phone, dialing the number to call Hyunggu so he could go to the reception.

A couple of minutes later Hyunggu was running down the aisle, letting out a small squeal when he saw Yuto was there. He almost threw himself over him, both arms around his neck as soon as he was close enough, Yuto’s arms immediately wrapped around his slim waist. “Idiot! Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”

“Sorry, sunshine” Yuto leaned down, giving Hyunggu a short kiss, something like Hyojong’s voice in the back saying ‘ _I said no making out!_ ’, but he ignored it anyways. “I have a surprise for you”

“What now?” Hyunggu said, giving Yuto another peck before Yuto pulled apart, blocking his vision to the door.

“She’s in her car, she’ll be here in a minute” Yuto helped Hyunggu with his hair since it got messy when he ran down the hallway.

Hyunggu cocked one eyebrow to Yuto, trying to understand the meaning of his words. “The surprise is a she?”

Yuto gave Hyunggu a small nod. “A new client” Yuto said, smiling before he moved aside as soon as he heard the door opening, finally revealing Hyunggu one of the secrets he kept from him since the beginning. “My sister”

Hyunggu let out a loud gasp, Hyojong as well, both of their jaws dropping when his sister walked inside the parlor, bowing her head at them. “A-Akari. Your sister is Akari. That’s why you wear a lot of s.q.a.r clothes! Oh my God, how I didn’t realize? I thought you only liked her designs like me. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Sorry, habit” Yuto shrugged “And you never asked” Hyunggu gave him an incredulous look, Yuto lifting both hands to protect himself from any kind of harm his boyfriend could do to him. “Not after the first time. I saw a couple of her designs in your closet last night and she loved my tattoos so why not making her come here to have her first ever tattoo with her brother’s talented boyfriend?”

“You are amazing, you know that?” Hyunggu gave Yuto a quick kiss to his cheek before he moved to where Akari was happily chatting with Hyojong.

Yuto looked endeared at how Hyunggu bowed at her, both of his hands intertwined, immediately showing he was nervous and that only made him feel even more endeared.

Yuto felt his phone vibrating in his pocket, taking it out to see it was a message fom Wooseok.

_From: Seokie_

_To: Me_

_Man, you didn’t come to the dorms last night? Or was I already sleeping? I haven’t seen you around and I’m sure we both live here._

Yuto chuckled, tapping his screen fast to reply. He totally forgot to tell Wooseok.

_From: Me_

_To: Seokie_

_Sorry. Spent the night @ Hyunggu’s. I went to our dorm to change my clothes to see my sister but you were already gone. Also thank you, your idea of getting a boyfriend through a tattoo worked._

It didn’t pass too much time until Wooseok replied.

_From: Seokie_

_To: Me_

_Man, don’t worry then. Also, that’s so good to read, as long as you’re happy. I just hope he’s the stability you were looking for._

Yuto stared at the message, biting his lower lip at his best friend’s words. Wooseok knew how hard it was for him to stay in the same place too long without having the necessity to run away. He knew how badly he wanted that to change.

Yuto lifted his head, a fond smile blooming on him as he saw his boyfriend talking animatedly with his sister, both of them checking out the catalogues they had spread on the semi-circular table. He let out a sigh, giving Hyunggu one last look before he looked down to his phone again, tapping his message quickly again, shoving his phone inside his pocket again so he can join his boyfriend and his sister on their conversation.

_From: Me_

_To: Seokie_

_I know he is._

**Author's Note:**

> SO. jkdfgfdk this was it, let me know what you think about it. It was going to be a short shot (i thought about 5k words) but whe i finished it was up 20k words, oops, this is what the yuki drought does to me.  
> I'm having a creative rush and I already have three plots written up for new yuki works so, you're gonna see me around here more.  
> Thank you so much for reading! ily♥  
> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/arigayuto) || [Curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/ahdachi)


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